UNTIL recently, there was one sound you could count on hearing every night at sundown in Centro, Mexico City’s historic district: the grind of metal gates descending, as stores and restaurants closed. Anyone brave enough to stroll the area at night would have a hard time distinguishing a taquería from a cantina, let alone finding one open for business.

One street, however, is luring visitors after dark. Calle Regina, which the Mexican government designated as a “cultural corridor” in 2007, was sealed off from traffic, and storefronts were repainted in bright pastels — part of a sweeping revitalization project that is a joint effort of the Mexican billionaire businessman Carlos Slim Helú (who is also a major shareholder and creditor of The New York Times Company) and the city government.

“We’re in the cool phase now,” said Adrián Calera-Grobet, manager at El Hostería La Bota (Regina 48; no phone), a bar that has been packed ever since Regina’s transformation. As bartenders fix you a Chalice, a wine and cranberry cocktail (35 pesos, or $2.80 at 12.50 pesos to the dollar), peruse La Bota’s latest poetry anthology — another specialty.

Head next to Al Andar (No. 27; 52-55-5709-1468), a hip mezcalería on the first floor of a renovated tenement. Shots of potent mezcal come with a piquant chaser: orange slices dusted in ground grasshoppers (55 pesos). For a light appetizer, try the tasty seafood pescadillas (65 pesos). Vegetarians should head to Pitahaya (No. 58-F; 52-55-5709-8426), a Mexican-Moroccan-Andalusian restaurant that opened last spring and serves up creative fusion dishes like tofu tlayuda with acuyo pesto (80 pesos).

Next, duck into the old convent courtyard just south of Regina where El Zéfiro (San Jerónimo 24; 52-55-5709-7983; ucsj.edu.mx/zefiro/), a culinary school and restaurant, has been serving inventive food since last March. Eager waiters in towering white hats set down guava cocktails and chipotle baguettes before you’ve even cracked the menu. Stick with the chef’s suggestions: a four-course feast of nouvelle Mexican cuisine (160 pesos), featuring dishes like wild turkey in white mole sauce.

Check the chalkboard outside the Argentine cafe Los Canallas (No. 58D; 52-55-5709-1200) to see whether jazz or stand-up comedy is on tap. On a recent Thursday night, when Studio 51 (No. 51 #2; 52-55-5709-3938), an art gallery across the street, had an opening, Los Canallas made its back wall part of the exhibit. Art lovers mingled with wine drinkers on the street past midnight.

“We give meaning to the idea of a cultural walkway,” said Ludmila Gracia, director of Studio 51, whose building was bought and refurbished by a company run by Mr. Slim. (According to Ms. Gracia, no one gets a lease in her building without fitting a bohemian profile.)

And indeed, few people seem worried about gentrification on Regina. “The rich won’t come,” said Chloé Fricout, former curator of Casa Vecina (1er Callejón de Mesones 7; 52-55-5709-1540, casavecina.com), which is owned by Mr. Slim’s Historic Center Foundation. With surrounding barrios still crime-ridden and political protests jamming traffic, Centro remains a gritty, inconvenient prospect for most young professionals. But on Regina, sculptural benches, installed during the street’s renovation, are already coveted seating, with a local knitting club convening on them by day and hipster couples canoodling on them at night. by Head next to Al Andar (No. 27; 52-55-5709-1468), a hip mezcalería on the first floor of a renovated tenement. Shots of potent mezcal come with a piquant chaser: orange slices dusted in ground grasshoppers (55 pesos). For a light appetizer, try the tasty seafood pescadillas (65 pesos). Vegetarians should head to Pitahaya (No. 58-F; 52-55-5709-8426), a Mexican-Moroccan-Andalusian restaurant that opened last spring and serves up creative fusion dishes like tofu tlayuda with acuyo pesto (80 pesos).

Next, duck into the old convent courtyard just south of Regina where El Zéfiro (San Jerónimo 24; 52-55-5709-7983; ucsj.edu.mx/zefiro/), a culinary school and restaurant, has been serving inventive food since last March. Eager waiters in towering white hats set down guava cocktails and chipotle baguettes before you’ve even cracked the menu. Stick with the chef’s suggestions: a four-course feast of nouvelle Mexican cuisine (160 pesos), featuring dishes like wild turkey in white mole sauce.

Check the chalkboard outside the Argentine cafe Los Canallas (No. 58D; 52-55-5709-1200) to see whether jazz or stand-up comedy is on tap. On a recent Thursday night, when Studio 51 (No. 51 #2; 52-55-5709-3938), an art gallery across the street, had an opening, Los Canallas made its back wall part of the exhibit. Art lovers mingled with wine drinkers on the street past midnight.

“We give meaning to the idea of a cultural walkway,” said Ludmila Gracia, director of Studio 51, whose building was bought and refurbished by a company run by Mr. Slim. (According to Ms. Gracia, no one gets a lease in her building without fitting a bohemian profile.)

And indeed, few people seem worried about gentrification on Regina. “The rich won’t come,” said Chloé Fricout, former curator of Casa Vecina (1er Callejón de Mesones 7; 52-55-5709-1540, casavecina.com), which is owned by Mr. Slim’s Historic Center Foundation. With surrounding barrios still crime-ridden and political protests jamming traffic, Centro remains a gritty, inconvenient prospect for most young professionals. But on Regina, sculptural benches, installed during the street’s renovation, are already coveted seating, with a local knitting club convening on them by day and hipster couples canoodling on them at night. byHead next to Al Andar (No. 27; 52-55-5709-1468), a hip mezcalería on the first floor of a renovated tenement. Shots of potent mezcal come with a piquant chaser: orange slices dusted in ground grasshoppers (55 pesos). For a light appetizer, try the tasty seafood pescadillas (65 pesos). Vegetarians should head to Pitahaya (No. 58-F; 52-55-5709-8426), a Mexican-Moroccan-Andalusian restaurant that opened last spring and serves up creative fusion dishes like tofu tlayuda with acuyo pesto (80 pesos).

Next, duck into the old convent courtyard just south of Regina where El Zéfiro (San Jerónimo 24; 52-55-5709-7983; ucsj.edu.mx/zefiro/), a culinary school and restaurant, has been serving inventive food since last March. Eager waiters in towering white hats set down guava cocktails and chipotle baguettes before you’ve even cracked the menu. Stick with the chef’s suggestions: a four-course feast of nouvelle Mexican cuisine (160 pesos), featuring dishes like wild turkey in white mole sauce.

Check the chalkboard outside the Argentine cafe Los Canallas (No. 58D; 52-55-5709-1200) to see whether jazz or stand-up comedy is on tap. On a recent Thursday night, when Studio 51 (No. 51 #2; 52-55-5709-3938), an art gallery across the street, had an opening, Los Canallas made its back wall part of the exhibit. Art lovers mingled with wine drinkers on the street past midnight.

“We give meaning to the idea of a cultural walkway,” said Ludmila Gracia, director of Studio 51, whose building was bought and refurbished by a company run by Mr. Slim. (According to Ms. Gracia, no one gets a lease in her building without fitting a bohemian profile.)

And indeed, few people seem worried about gentrification on Regina. “The rich won’t come,” said Chloé Fricout, former curator of Casa Vecina (1er Callejón de Mesones 7; 52-55-5709-1540, casavecina.com), which is owned by Mr. Slim’s Historic Center Foundation. With surrounding barrios still crime-ridden and political protests jamming traffic, Centro remains a gritty, inconvenient prospect for most young professionals. But on Regina, sculptural benches, installed during the street’s renovation, are already coveted seating, with a local knitting club convening on them by day and hipster couples canoodling on them at night. By Colleen Kinder, New York Times March 7,2010.

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